Rescuers search for victims on January 8 after an earthquake in Tibet
CGTN radio quoted information from the China Earthquake Network Center (CENC) saying that a strong earthquake of magnitude 5.5 on the Richter scale occurred in Qinghai province in northwest China on January 8, with the epicenter 14 km deep.
Local sources said no casualties were reported after the earthquake occurred in Ma Da district in Qinghai at 3:44 p.m. (local time).
Local resident Dechok said people in the district center felt slight shaking. According to Reuters, this district is mainly inhabited by Tibetans, many of whom were once nomadic but have settled in government-built housing.
The epicenter of the Qinghai earthquake was about 1,000 km northeast of the epicenter of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake on January 7 in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The vast Qinghai-Tibet plateau area has recorded many geological activities since January 7, including a 3.1 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan.
Regarding the January 7 earthquake in Tibet, Chinese officials said on January 8 that more than 400 people trapped in the rubble had been rescued. Meanwhile, the number of people missing due to the earthquake amid freezing weather is unknown.
A day after the quake, people trapped under rubble endured a night of sub-zero temperatures, adding to the pressure on rescuers searching for survivors. in a large area.
Temperatures in the highlands dropped to minus 18 degrees Celsius overnight. Experts say people trapped or without shelter are at risk of rapid hypothermia and may only live five to 10 hours even without injury.
CCTV images showed families gathered in rows of tents quickly set up by the military and aid workers in settlements around the epicenter, where hundreds of aftershocks were recorded. According to CCTV, at least 126 people were killed and 188 injured due to the earthquake.
